D&D (2024) Seeking input re: Dwarves Riding Bears.

[JPL]

Personally, I like dwarves riding Warpigs. And then pairing that up with some Black Sabbath.

I like the War Pigs, too. There are also some minis with what I assume a Dire Goats.

 

[Voadam]

Dwarven bear biker gang is a decent one shot party concept.

 

[JPL]

Dwarven bear biker gang is a decent one shot party concept.

And if you're ever gonna do a whole party of barbarian zealots, this is the time.

 

[Andrew Anderson]

And if you're ever gonna do a whole party of barbarian zealots, this is the time.

I'm sorry. Your spell check is broken. You need a whole party of Barbearian zealots.

And as for "a logical reason to have party of dwarves riding bears"? Tough terrain maybe, but tough monsters is better.
Orcs or hobgoblins might try to take horse cavalry, but I think anything smaller than an ogre probably runs without even trying to make a more check.

I could even see, oddly enough, a bit of a diplomatic element to the scenario. If you want to go Game of Thrones...

The Great Den is no more and the Bear Brothers are buried under the hordes of evil they slew before they were themselves slain. Only a few survivors are left to take revenge and find a new home. Among the scattered dwarfholds of the high peaks, kindness and generosity are rare. What price will the Bear Brothers pay for their new home?
And now the party has to negotiate with various minor dwarf lords for shelter and supplies in exchange for directed violence. Can the party serve both their God and the Clanmaster?

 

[Stormonu]

Brown bears are CR 1, so that puts them above the CR 1/2 cutoff for the sidekick rules, but I'm leaning toward using those rules anyway, just to juice up those bears.

1/2 CR assumes you're starting the party at 1st level. With CR 1, simply assume the bears are starting at a higher level (2? 3?) and add from there any abilities that you feel fit - most likely, just extra HP.